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Apocalypse Life/Issue 19
Issue 19 - Bid Farewell The sky was starting to turn more orange by the minute. Liam and Julius passed by the fenced-in open playground. Julius couldn’t help but hate it this time, seeing a lone walker standing near the swing-set. He had no idea why he felt this way; why he hated everything that seemed pleasant to him this morning. “You know what we could’ve done?” he suddenly asked Liam, who was silent the whole time. He glances Julius behind him. “We probably could’ve buried him.” Liam glances him again. “Waste of time,” he replies. Julius gives him a bothered look, and returns to being silent. They make a right turn after reaching the end of the fence, toward a block of houses. “What about… what about a eulogy, at least?” Liam glances him once again, this time a little bit longer. He quietly sighs, and takes a few seconds to respond. Julius walks up to his side to catch up. “Did you see how he looked like? That torn sweater, those bloodshot eyes… that gun. Do you really think he deserved one?” Julius pauses for an answer. They cover half of the street in silence. “But he’s still human. I mean, at least we could’ve—we could’ve said a few words—“ Liam stops walking, and pauses for a few seconds. He turns to Julius with a blank look. Julius felt nothing good from it. “Look. Look. If you want to do it, go the fuck ahead. Give that man a eulogy—hell, give any fucking biter you kill a eulogy. Anything you kill. Do it on your own time. But when you’re with me, we do shit my way. We deal with the person, and we walk away. Alright?” Julius tries to look away awkwardly, but the look Liam was giving him made him regret it. “I—I don’t know if you got the memo, but the city’s changed. The world’s changed. You just… don’t have time for those pleasantries anymore. Lately you have to do shit quick, mostly because that shit is… well, it’s something you don’t want to sit through. But we don’t waste time. People are relying on us. We just do it, and be done.” They pause, staring at each other, until Liam lets out a sigh. He resumes his walking, somewhat stomping. Julius pauses, somewhat breathing loudly. He jogs to Liam to catch up. “You have to change, Julius. You just have to look beyond certain shit… you know shit just isn’t normal anymore.” Liam, looking ahead the whole time, unsheathes his machete. Julius was surprised at first, until he looks toward his direction; at least four walkers were at the far distance, taking notice of them. “There’s four. Two on the left for me, the right for you.” Liam gives him a stern look; Julius finds it difficult to respond, as he was still trying to process everything he said. “Basically just don’t give a shit…” he thought. He readies his bat, and nods. Together, they run toward the walkers. ---- The following blocks toward the apartment were quite brutal on both of them; at least each block had a walker at their far distance. Julius and Liam were breaking up a sweat once they reach the street of their apartment. Five walkers were at the middle of the street, seemingly the last obstacle they were going to face. Liam slowly jogs toward them, machete tightly clutched in his left hand, getting ready to swing. Julius follows him with a jog of the similar speed, his left hand on the barrel of his bat. Liam slashes the nearest walker on the body, forcing it to stumble on the ground; then he drives his machete on the next walker’s head, forcing to pause as he struggles to jerk it out. Julius provides him cover by swinging at the walker to its right, shoving it to the ground. Liam finally lets his machete free. Almost in unison, Liam drives his machete onto the next walker’s head, while Julius slams his bat on the walker Liam slashed down. He repeatedly crushes the walker’s skull, while Liam forces his victim to crash on the ground, taking some time to yank his machete from the tough exterior of its head. They both catch their breaths, nodding at each other for the feat they’ve just done. After a few more moments, they both slowly jog toward the apartment. Upon arriving at the front gate, they see a handful of walkers scattered onto the sidewalk, and the street just in front of it. Many of them had puddles of blood coming from their heads. Others were plopped onto the makeshift wall of the apartment, their skulls caved in. “The hell…” Liam mutters. Julius briefly covers his mouth because of the collective stench, but soon puts his hand down upon seeing the inside of the gate. Ree was seated on the entrance’s stairs, her head nearly down in between her knees. Evee was behind the entrance’s open doors, looking at them. Barbara was near Ree’s far right, watching Patrick, who was pulling a corpse by the arms. Ree shoots her head up upon noticing Liam. “The hell happened here?” he asked. Barbara and Patrick turn their heads toward him in an instant. Ree stands up from her seat, and gives Liam a hug. “You guys alright?” he asked, as Ree pulls away from her embrace. Patrick continues pulling the corpse; it seems that he was already working on a pile to the left corner, near the trash bins. “Walkers wandered near the apartment,” Barbara replies. “Bunch o’ them.” “We were forced to hide, seeing as they we could’ve easily been food…” Patrick followed, his voice slightly out of breath. “Until… something made them all leave.” Liam gives them an astonished look. “Gunshots,” Ree adds. “Bunch of gunshots from the outside. Explains all of the bodies in the street.” Liam and Julius turn back behind them to glance it one more time. “I don’t know who they were,” Patrick says, as he walks into their view. There was a smirk of relief in his face. “But… well, it helped.” “I had to… I had to kill a few stragglers on the inside,” Ree adds. “I never thought I'd be doing it again. I thought I was... done.” Liam pauses, giving them all a concerned look. He then turns to Julius to pass on to him. “I think…” he sighs. “I think it’s time we move. Be on the road.” They all pause, pondering at the thought. “What’s the status on Duane?” Liam asks. Ree looks at him, then glances Patrick once. “We… we heard somebody respond.” Julius turns to look at her, just as astonished as Liam. “But… it wasn’t Duane. Said his name was Corporal… ‘Dornher,’ or something like that. Said his squad was two-nine-three-three…” Liam pauses for a moment, looking on the ground to ponder. “You ever… you ever thought of returning that call?” he asks. Julius suddenly had an urge to add something, but couldn’t go forward with it. “No—I—I mean, it’s not Duane. W-we’re waiting for him… he’s…” Liam lets out a faint sigh. “What if we have no choice? What if he doesn’t pick up?” “He will,” Ree responds, almost instantly. “He just… he will, alright? He’s—he promised he will.” “Alright, alright,” Liam says, calming her down. He places his hand on her back and walks forward. “C’mon. Let’s go back to the radio. He might be trying to reach us right now.” Everyone collectively goes inside, with Julius being the last. Patrick happened to be in front of him. “Hey, what’d manage to get, by the way?” he asks, looking back while walking. Julius gives him a surprised look, nearly forgetting about their supply run. “Oh, uh—I—I managed to find some, but, it was pretty limited…” He unstraps his bag, bringing it to his front. “Great, show me later,” Patrick replies. “Gotta put out tonight; it’ll probably be our last meal in this place.” ---- Patrick was busy in the kitchen with Barbara, while the rest of them were huddled around Ree’s dressing table. Ree, crouched down in level with the table, was busy pressing buttons and turning knobs, while Julius, Liam, and Evee were staring at her work. “Just a little more…” Ree says, as she turns the big yellow knob on the extra gadget. “…and…” The radio’s familiar static returns, being the loudest sound in the room as everyone stares at it in amazement. Ree stands up from her crouched position and sits near Evee, who was huddled on the mattress. Julius was seated to her far right, while Liam was to her left, standing. “So… now what?” Liam asks. His response was a few seconds of silence. “I increased the frequency. He’ll find it sooner now,” Ree replies. Evee scoots closer to her and rests her head on her chest. They all stare in silence at the radio, as it talks to them with the quiet, eerie static. After what seemed like a few minutes, Patrick silently sticks his head out of the semi-opened door of Ree’s room. “Dinner in two,” he says in a near mutter, spreading his look among everyone. Liam gives Julius a look, who then stands up from the mattress. He and Liam walk toward the door. “Let’s go eat, Ree. It can wait,” Liam says, before vanishing out of sight. It was only her and Evee left in the room. “C’mon,” Evee says, shaking Ree’s arms, which were wrapped around her. Ree doesn’t budge for a few more seconds. “Go eat. I’ll catch up,” she mutters. Evee gives her a quick glare, then leaps from the bed. She glances Ree once as she walks toward the door, exiting. Alone again. This feeling was all too familiar for her. She rested her head on the pillow, her hands on top of her stomach. The static from the radio seemed to be much louder than usual. She hasn’t been able to sleep the whole day. For some reason, the static sounded really annoying… “Wake me up, Duane…” she muttered. She finally lets her heavy eyes fall. The image of the dresser in front of her was slowly fading to black… “Wake…” She lets out a quiet yawn. Her door silently creaks, but the sound was much too silent for her to pay attention. Julius shyly walks into view. “Uh… Ree? It’s dinner time,” he called, his volume a bit quiet. No response. “Ree,” he repeated, a little louder now. She squints to Julius, looking a bit grumpy. “Maureen?” Her bloodshot eyes suddenly open wide. Julius abruptly turns his head toward the radio. “Private Duane checking in on unknown frequency. Hello?” ---- “Duane. Duane! We’re here!” Ree was crouched on the table, leaning toward the radio. The static seemed to have grown much louder. She kept pressing buttons and turning the knobs. The static starts to fluctuate in different volumes in response. “Duane!” she continued. Julius was right next to her, leaning in. The door to their left creaks silently. “Ree. Dinner time,” Liam called, noticing the pair in front of him. He was unable to tell the difference judging from the blank look on his face. “Maureen? Is t--- you?” The voice’s volume was pushed back by the loud static. Liam curves his eyebrows and starts walking toward them. “Yes, Duane! It’s me…” she responds, a sigh of relief in her voice. There was no mistaking it. “Oh m-- god—it’s—it’s really you…”''Regardless of the static, it was clear that Duane was just as relieved as her. ''“Listen. I--I don’t reall-- have much t--me. I’ll be be wa--ing at the bus s--p where we t--ked. The truck c--only take six peo--le. S-- peop--!” The static seems to grow much louder. “I’ll b-- there for as l--- as I c--n, but I d--t know if I h--e that much t--me… so get here A.S.A—!” Liam, Julius, and Ree share worried looks. “Yeah, we go it,” she replies. “Be c--eful. I lo-- you, alright?” Ree’s eyes start to glisten. “Love you too…” “What--er you do, avoid the m-- “ His speech was completely cut off by the growing loud static. “Avoid the what?” Liam asks. Julius gives him a confused look. “I don’t—I don’t know. But we need to move,” Ree replies, wiping a lone tear. She deactivates the radio by pressing a few buttons and turning knobs, then stands up. Liam folds his arms. “I don’t know about you guys but… I barely picked up anything he said.” He and Julius look to each other, with Julius nodding him once. He then transfers his look to Ree. “O’Farell,” Ree says. “O’Farell and Fifth. All the way up north.” She walks toward her closet, and slides it open. She digs inside it for a few seconds and pulls out a small backpack. “Start packing,” she urged. ---- The dinner was interrupted quickly when Liam informed Patrick of the news. They almost instantly stopped eating, and started packing, after Ree’s orders. Julius’s belongings were already sitting on the sofa he slept on; all he needed to do was zip it closed. He sits down, feeling somewhat excited and nervous at the same time. It felt like they were going to a road trip, though there will be cannibals along the way. Liam suddenly appears through the front door to his left, walking and stopping halfway. “Where’s Ree?” he asks Julius. “Evee’s room, helping her pack,” he replies. Liam then walks toward the archway and turns left, headed toward the half-opened door of Evee’s room. He sees Ree crouched in level with Evee, zipping up the small backpack strapped to her back. “Ree?” he says. She glances him once. “Can you go to Patrick for a moment, Evee?” she says to her. Evee then zooms out of the room. Liam walks closer to Ree as she stands up. “Correct me if I’m wrong but… he said six people, right?” Ree pauses at first, as her expression dissolves into a more serious one, then nods. Liam sighs. “What about Elaine and them? What about… what about the—“ “Don’t say it,” Ree interrupts. Liam starts rubbing his forehead with his fingers. “I already feel like shit, alright?” Ree adds. “But we didn’t—we couldn’t discuss the seat count. We had no idea it’d come down to this. He’s expecting us, and… just us.” Liam sighs. “Then I’m staying back. With them.” Ree shoots him a doubtful look. “No. You stick with us—“ “It’s okay. I’ve had a lot of time to think about it. Since… since we got the radio. I knew I’d have to make this decision.” Ree looks away. The look in her face slowly dissolves. “I know it’s bad enough to leave them behind,” he adds. “But as long as I’m there, I’ll reassure you now that they’re safe.” Ree pauses for a moment, pondering. Her eyes were starting to glisten. “Julius is good with that bat. He’ll protect you guys.” She shakes her head, as a few tears fall from her eyes. “I’ll look after them.” She sniffles. “You… better do the same. With Elaine. With the kids…” ---- Julius found himself sitting on the sofa the whole time, its soft cushion discouraging him to move actively. He was quick to respond when Ree tells him that they’ll be leaving the next morning. He stays in his seated position, though lets his head dip into the headrest a little lower. He never loved sleep this much. After a long day of hard work, this was well-earned. He lets his heavy eyes fall, letting out a half-yawn in the process. Almost in an instant, Julius was asleep. ------------ He needed to rush. He was finally able to get past the medical tent, cradling an injured Alice in his hands. She weighed like a bag of cotton. Nothing could go wrong, now. The streets he trekked on were clean, and empty. He somehow knew where to go, though he was completely oblivious to the location. He made a collection of different turns, until he sees a pale white building in front of him. He rushes over the set of stairs in front of him, and tackles the front door open. As soon as he entered, he found himself standing over a large, empty room. A lone gurney sits in the middle of the floor. Everything around them was silky white. He rushes over the gurney, and gently sets Alice on top of it. She was motionless, her hand on top of the bleeding wound on her stomach. She lays silent at first, slowly opening her eyes. “Where…” she asks, her voice quiet and hoarse. “It’s alright,” he reassures her. He wipes the sweat off her forehead. “You’ll be alright.” He was baffled; what was he going to do next? Aside for his mediocre medical expertise, there was no visible equipment to work with around him. Alice jerks her body once, then struggles to sit up. Julius tries to respond, but her motionless pause made him hesitate. She sat on the gurney, her head looking down the ground, her body completely frozen. “Alice…?” He slowly approaches her, pulling her hand off from her wound. The blood was continuing to seep through the two holes in her stomach. Every second, the wounds started to intensify in his eyes… Alice slowly lifts her head up, slightly startling him. “Alice…” he mutters. Her irises were completely gray, blood dripping down from the bottom of her eyes, onto her cheeks. Her silence was haunting. She stands up from her position, slowly walking toward him. Every sound around Julius blurred, as he took a few steps back. “No! Not now!” he shouted, almost unable to hear it through his own ears. Alice continued to look at him with her lifeless eyes, blood continuously dripping. He feels something cold touch his left hand. His lifts it up to his view to see what it was. “No… this isn’t what I need,” he says, looking at the silver scalpel on his palm. He tried to loosen his grip, but his fingers kept pulling inside, almost hurting his own hand. Suddenly, the sounds of numerous voices start to fill his ears. “Rip her open. Do you have to? I don’t want it to come down to that… just rip her open. Just see… see if you’ll save her. Just see…” The collection of sounds were layering on top of each other, forcing Julius onto his knees. They continued to intensify, until a quiet humming noise started to take over. The calmness of the hums drowned out the loudness of the voices… He wakes up, breathing heavily, sweat pouring from his forehead. He recollects himself for a moment, rubbing the middle of his face. He notices a weak light right behind him, as it illuminated the television set to his front. He turned around to have a look. It was Evee, drawing on a piece of paper on the dining table, quietly humming. ---- Category:Apocalypse Life Category:Issues Category:KnowledgeProspector Stories Category:Apocalypse Life Issues